Identification cards are widely used to carry information typically relating to the card holder. Identification card printing systems are used to form identification cards by printing an image, which can contain textual and graphical information, on a card substrate, such as a plastic card.
Many identification card printing systems, such as those produced by Fargo Electronics, Inc. of Eden Prairie, Minn., are thermal based printing systems. Such systems print images on card substrates using a thermal printhead and a thermal print ribbon that is held taut between the printhead and the card substrate. The thermal print ribbon or dye sublimation ribbon is typically divided up into different color frames or panels along its length. The frames or panels repeat in a sequence or group consisting of a yellow panel, followed by a magenta panel, which is followed by a cyan panel. In addition, a black resin frame or panel can be provided in the sequence of the color panels, if desired. The thermal printhead includes a plurality of resistive heating elements that are selectively energized to individually heat the panels of the thermal print ribbon and cause print material from the selected panels to transfer to the card substrate and form the desired image.
The thermal print ribbon can be supported in a ribbon cartridge to simplify the loading of the ribbon in the printer. The ribbon cartridge generally incudes a supply spool on which a first end of the ribbon is wound and a take-up spool on which a second end of the ribbon is wound. A middle portion of the ribbon extends between the supply and take-up spools. The printer controls the feeding of the ribbon over the printhead from the supply spool to the take-up spool.
There is a never-ending demand for improvements to ribbon cartridges for use in identification card printers, including forming the ribbon cartridge such that it allows the card printer to be formed more compactly, providing roller cleaning features, and other desirable features.